How can you create a learning culture within an organization? For Millennials, learning opportunities are not just great for taking advantage – they are an expectation but, if you are a manager or HR professional and trying to build a learning culture, then what does this mean to you?
Well, you can’t think of those old methods of corporate learning because that will be not effective for the new generations. Therefore, it is necessary to know how to make changes to build a learning culture that encompasses all generations of professionals.
In order for your company to remain in high performance, in this article, we will present tips on how to create and strengthen the learning culture in your company. Good reading!
Tips to ingrain learning culture in the company
- Integrate people management with the learning culture in your company
Actions aimed at improving the environment and people management should also aim to encourage learning. When these practices are integrated, employees naturally feel more motivated to seek and learn new knowledge that facilitates and improves not only the execution of their tasks but also the organizational environment.
- Encourage questions and questioning
Too many “old-fashioned” managers consider that their teams must be silent and implement their leader’s decisions without flinching. But seniority and hierarchical position are no guarantee of making the “right decision” every time. In our constantly changing world, where technological innovations follow one another more and more quickly, the concentration of decisions in the hands of a person is even the guarantee of failure. “Two heads are better than one,” says the adage. To encourage your teams to open up their horizons, encourage them to question the status quo, to question yourself and to question each other. This intellectual emulation will push your teams to dig deeper into the subjects. Fostering a culture of questioning will give your teams the desire to progress and develop, for the greatest benefit of your company.
- Foster diversity and diversity in teams
If you want to spark innovation and creativity, there is nothing worse than consistency in your teams. If everyone has taken the same training, the same course, and thinks the same thing, how do you get off the beaten track? To foster a learning culture in your teams, boost it as soon as you recruit. Form mixed teams made up of employees from different backgrounds such as social, cultural, nationalities, etc. who have undergone various training courses. You need to encourage exchanges and experience sharing to promote peer-to-peer learning and appreciate the specifics of each and put them forward.
- Encourage new hires to take personal responsibility of learning
The culture of learning in your company must be an ingrained concept. It is important that it is something natural in all sectors and hierarchies of the business, from the owner of the company to the new hires. However, for that, it is not enough that new employees receive specific training and qualification. This will only make them initially fit for their positions. The philosophy of the learning culture goes far beyond that – and so should your strategies. For all professionals to seek knowledge on an ongoing basis, they need to assume that learning is their own responsibility. First, it is necessary that each new member understands the importance of this method of work, going through the reinforcement of knowledge and then the incentives and possibilities for them to demonstrate new skills over time.
- Formalize smart training and development plans
Training can be much more than just one-sided moments, think about plans to develop employee knowledge, as well as encourage the learning culture in your company.
The fact is, training by itself, is already an incentive and motivation strategy for employees. This is because every professional feels more valued and confident when the company shows interest in preparing it even more for the job market. However, these same sessions are great opportunities for employees to understand and discuss their doubts and questions about the learning culture.
This exchange of information is important for everyone to present their weaknesses and return to their routines with a greater interest in implementing a growth philosophy in their respective departments.
- Make them learn across the company
Allow all employees to have full access to the company, so that they are not “boxed” in their role or department and therefore can learn from the rest of the company. Invite your operational-level employees to participate in meetings at the strategic level, and vice versa, allowing employees at any level to obtain a “full access pass” for the rest of the company and see how the board operates, in addition to of how and why big decisions are made.
This expands all of our thinking, improves the skills of each individual and makes everyone better leaders.
- Create a right environment for better learning
One of the biggest secrets to building a learning culture is to make your employees forget that they are learning. Creating an immersive environment that encourages true learning and conditioning is one that accepts “failure” as part of the learning process where employees will naturally be part of a learning culture. For example, telling someone not to click on a suspicious link in an email will not be effective if, in the first place, he or she fails to identify what is suspicious.
Instead, gamify the learning process and creating simulations designed to change user behavior and empower change through reporting, employees become much more adept at recognizing genuine malicious activity and buying to become part of the solution.
Conclusion
A major demographic shift in the workforce presents an excellent opportunity to reorient its learning and development strategy and build a strong learning culture. By following these tips, you can make knowledge transfer and skills acquisition a daily part of the job – and prepare your company for long-term success.